AFTER
by cnor9602
Summary: The war is over.....but what comes after? This is my first fanfic. Please tell me what you think.


The war is over…….but what comes after? This is my first fanfic. Tell me what you think.

AFTER

Moonlight was streaming through the high windows of Hogwarts Castle as Harry strolled through the corridors. The castle was devoid of life and deathly quiet. The final battle had been just a few short months ago and Harry couldn't help but relive events and remember people who should have still been with him. But he was alone…painfully alone.

After so many battles and so much loss of life the final battle had taken place in Hogsmeade in the middle of what had been a peaceful Saturday afternoon. Peace was broken when the Death Eaters attacked as Harry was leaving the Hog's Head after an Order meeting. The irony of the timing was not lost on Harry who was lucky enough to cast a disillusionment charm and approach Voldemort from behind.

He knew he would never forget the sounds and smells from that moment in time. All around him people were falling, light and dark alike. There was spell fire coming from every direction and still he kept moving slowly toward his target, single-minded in his pursuit. There were buildings burning and the smoke was clogging the streets. People were running and children were screaming for their mothers. But Harry kept moving. It wouldn't do to become distracted and lose this chance to finally put an end to the war.

Harry often thought it would be his extensive training with wandless magic and one of the myriad of curses he had been taught that would be the end of the greatest scourge of the wizarding world. Oddly enough, he walked up behind Voldemort and ran him through with the blade he had taken to carrying strapped to his leg. The whole day was strangely anti-climatic.

Severus Snape had told him not to underestimate muggle weaponry in the fight against the Dark. He told Harry that it was unlikely that the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself would be prepared to fend off a muggle style attack. The only draw back, Severus had told him, was that for muggle weapons to be of use you had to get close to your target. Closer then any Order member wished to think of getting to the Dark Army.

For all his arguments at the time, Harry wished he could tell him how right he had been but Severus was one of the many that had never been found. He was assumed dead since all the other Death Eaters fell when their Master did. Harry and Severus knew it was a possibility. They had discussed it and argued over it many times but Severus' answers were always the same. He told Harry that if it came down to that, he would gladly give his life if it meant that Voldemort would be no more. Harry and Hermione researched desperately to find an alternative but the search was in vain.

There were so many dead. So many who fought valiantly by his side that were wiped from the face of the earth before they had the opportunity to make their mark on the world. The Weasley's were hit especially hard losing Ron and the twins in those last days of war. Everyone was surprised at the attack that took out most of Diagon Alley. Before the day that the shops were attacked, Diagon Alley had been a sort of safe zone. Ginny was a permanent resident of the Janus Thickley Ward at St. Mungo's. It is likely she will be keeping the Longbottoms company for the rest of her days. The loss of her brothers right in front of her had been too much for her to take. She was found in the rubble of the joke shop pinned under George where he had protected her with his body. The older boys were moving on as best they could, marrying and having children. Molly was grateful to have her grandchildren to keep her busy and distract her from the loss of Arthur who fell when the Ministry did.

Neville Longbottom survived the war and was spending a lot of time with his parents and Ginny even though they didn't know he was there. He seemed to have lost the will to do much of anything but stare out the window much the same way his addled companions did.

The rest of the wizarding world seemed to be picking up the pieces and moving on with life. Doing the best they could to put the atrocities of the war behind them. Some moving on to new destinations and others rebuilding what had been lost.

Hermione had taken off for the States almost as soon as the last curse was cast. There was a museum called the Smithsonian Institute that had captured her attention and she wasn't wasting any time in setting out to learn something new.

Harry received one owl from her letting him know she was well and that she loved him but asking him not to contact her again. The loss of Ron was just too painful for her to recover from. She was going to remain in the muggle world and try to move on with her life.

Harry didn't begrudge her the choice. He was even a little envious of the freedom she had to make the decision. He would love to pick up and move on to parts unknown for the remainder of his life. Live in peaceful anonymity.

But for the pull to return to the castle, he would have been gone already. Every time Harry would find himself thinking of which direction to travel in, the castle seemed to call to him. The pull to return seemed to get stronger day after day until he finally answered the call of the castle and now found himself walking the halls of his youth.

Harry knew it would be some time before the hallowed halls would be once again filled with students. There was just too much that needed doing. The Wizarding government needed to be rebuilt from the ground up and Kingsley Shacklebolt was making great strides toward that aim as acting Minister for Magic. It seemed very likely that he would be cast in that role permanently with the coming elections. But even with the strides Kingsley was making, Harry knew it would be a while before parents would even consider being parted from their remaining children. With most of the staff dead and the remaining few scattered out searching for their families, it would be a long while before Hogwarts opened its doors again.

Harry's feet seemed to be carrying him through his alma mater with the ease born of familiarity. As he passed classrooms of old, he was assaulted by shadows of a childhood filled with memories both good and bad. Again, he thought of Severus. "It is what it is", he could hear the potions master saying in his head.

As Harry passed the old potions classroom, he couldn't suppress a fond smile at the memories of the animosity he held with his teacher. Once they had finally gotten past the past, as it were, and moved on to grudging friendship, Harry thought that he and Severus made a damn good team. When that friendship grew to more, Harry found that their teamwork extended to the bedroom and their mutual respect grew to a deep and abiding love, much to the surprise and consternation of Harry's friends and many of the order members. When Hermione was told she just smiled and took Harry's hand and told him that love wasn't always logical and to be happy where he could.

As Harry approached the entrance to Severus' private quarters his heart lurched in his chest. He spoke the password around the lump in his throat and stepped into the domain of the man he missed desperately. His heart seized again as he was assaulted by the room before him. Everything was just as he and Severus had left it before attending the Order meeting at the Hog's Head on that fateful day.

Tears slipped unchecked down Harry's cheeks as his breathed in the scent of his lover. He fell to his knees and sobbed, "How? How am I supposed to go on without you?!"

As if in answer to his question, a scroll appeared before him. Harry cautiously approached the scroll and cast several detection spells to insure there was no devious intent and found nothing but Severus' magical signature. With that done, Harry sat huddled in Severus' chair in front of the cold fireplace and debated whether he wanted to read what was written or just hold the rolled up parchment in his hands.

Not a Gryffindor for nothing, Harry slowly unrolled the missive from his lover.

Little One,

If you are reading this then you have indeed managed to rid the world of the Dark Lord. I assure you this comes as no surprise to me. Never have you been know to fail in attaining that which you truly wish. I don't know what to expect in the aftermath of your achievement but I have made arrangements for you to have a place to go where you can be away from your adoring fans, should you find that the burden of your celebrity becomes too much. The floo is adjusted to your magical signature which will ensure your privacy. Just activate the floo and call out "The Haven" This is my gift to you. Your freedom to be just Harry, just my Little One.

Always,

Sev

With tears pouring down his face, Harry drew up his wand and cast incendio at the fire place and watched as it sprang to life as if it had never burned out. Mustering up the last of his bravery, Harry stepped up to the fire place and a pinch of floo powder later, called out "The Haven".

As Harry stepped out of the fire place with his eyes closed he heard the unmistakable sound of his lover's baritone voice. "Hello, Little One."

Harry turned and saw his Sev standing there with one arm missing just below the elbow. "Sev!" Harry gasped out and fell into his lover.

"It's all going to be OK now" Sev told him, as he gently brushed Harry's fringe aside. "No one will find us here. We have all the space we need to build a new life, Little One. No one will lay their burdens on you again. We are free."


End file.
